Daughter of man killed by captured fugitive says she is 'numb' that George Wright won't be extradited to U.S.

Since her father was murdered nearly 49 years ago, Ann Patterson could only wait for justice.

But now it appears punishment for the once elusive convict who played a part in Walter Patterson’s death may never come.

George Wright, who escaped from a New Jersey prison 41 years ago but was suddenly found and arrested in Portugal in September, will not be extradited to U.S., despite the efforts of federal authorities, a Lisbon court ruled today.

Tonight, Wright’s attorney held a press conference at his Lisbon office to announce his client is now free.

While the U.S. Department of Justice condemned the ruling and said it will explore avenues to reverse it, Patterson struggled to find words to match her emotions.

"I’m just numb," the Howell resident said after learning of the court’s decision. "It’s like all of us have re-lived my father’s death over again. It’s like mourning a second time."

U.S. authorities had sought Wright’s return so he could serve the remainder of a 15- to-30 year prison sentence for the 1962 murder of Walter Patterson, a decorated World War II veteran, at a Wall Township gas station he co-owned.

But Wright’s lawyer, Manuel Luis Ferreira, told the Associated Press today that a judge accepted their contention that Wright, 68, is now Portuguese and the statute of limitations on the killing had expired.

At the press conference, Wright said he has "a clear conscience," according to Agence France-Presse.

"I am very pleased and I want to thank the Portuguese courts for having made the right decision," he said.

Ferreira added Wright thought he would be "killed in prison" if he returned to the U.S.

"He believes they’ll make an example out of him," Ferreira was quoted as saying.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Justice said the agency was "extremely disappointed" by the court’s denial and would consult with Portuguese authorities "to determine a path forward that results in Mr. Wright’s return to the United States."

"George Wright is a convicted murderer guilty of an extremely serious crime which falls squarely within the terms of our bilateral extradition treaty with Portugal," spokeswoman Laura Sweeney said. "We expect Portugal to abide by its treaty obligations in this case."

As of tonight, Patterson had not heard from U.S. authorities, but she stressed her appreciation for their efforts.

Wright’s life of crime started Nov. 23, 1962, when he and three Asbury Park men wearing stocking masks went on a robbery spree that took them to the Collingwood Esso gas station, according to police records.

One of the men, Walter McGhee, fired two shots at Walter Patterson and ran off with $70. The wounded man was taken to Fitkin Memorial Hospital in Neptune, where he died two days later.

McGhee was sentenced to life in prison. Wright, as one of the hold-up men, was also charged with murder. He changed his plea from innocent to no defense to avoid a jury trial that could have resulted in the death penalty if he were found guilty, according to press accounts.

Wright, at age 19, was sentenced to 15 to 30 years at what is now Bayside State Prison in Leesburg. After serving seven years, Wright and three other convicts escaped from a minimum-security prison wing.

Wright eventually made his way to Detroit, joined the Black Liberation Army and started living under aliases, according to authorities.

On July 31, 1972, Wright’s life took an infamous turn when he and four other BLA members hijacked Delta Air Lines Flight 841 from Detroit to Miami. Wright dressed as a priest and carried a handgun in a hollowed-out Bible, according to reports.

After landing in Miami, the hijackers demanded a $1 million ransom in exchange for the passengers — the largest of its kind at the time, according to the FBI.

All 86 passengers were released, but the crew remained on board. After a fuel stop in Boston, the DC-8 proceeded across the Atlantic to Algeria, where the hijackers sought asylum.

After the plane landed, police questioned the hijackers and they were detained by the Algerian government, which welcomed U.S. dissidents. Algeria did return the plane and the $1 million to the U.S., but the hijackers got away free.

Wright’s partners were eventually found, tried and convicted in Paris in 1976. But Wright remained at large until he was captured in the picturesque seaside village of Almocageme, Portugal, on Sept. 28. Authorities had matched his fingerprint on a Portuguese identity card to one in the U.S.

Wright, who has been married for 20 years, had been under house arrest since his capture. Ferreira told the Associated Press that Wright was granted Portuguese citizenship following his marriage to Mario do Rosario Valente and after the West African nation of Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony, gave him a new name of Jose Luis Jorge dos Santos.

Patterson said today she had prepared for the possibility that Wright might not return to the United States, but the news still hurt.

"Throughout all of this, it’s just been about (Wright)," she said. "Not once has he ever said he was sorry for what he did."